The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has issued a memorandum order that mandates telco subscribers to provide live selfie photos during SIM registration.
During a Senate committee hearing, NTC commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez explained that public telecommunications companies have been given a three-month timeframe to implement technologies that will necessitate live selfies during registration.
Lopez stated that the memo was issued with the objective of improving the accuracy of the registry, as some registrants had used fake IDs and stock images.
The introduction of live selfies is intended to enhance the verification process, ensuring that the registrant’s identity matches the information provided during registration.
The memorandum issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) includes guidelines aimed at identifying and eliminating fraudulent SIM registrations and determining the extent of registrations intended for scams.
Commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez noted that Public Telecommunications Entities (PTEs) have been granted until December 18, 2023, to implement technologies that enforce the requirement for live selfies during registration.
The decision to implement live selfies during SIM registration came in response to reports that some registrations had been completed using photos of animals and cartoon characters.
According to PAOCC executive director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, they confiscated a machine that can make 64 SIM cards in just three minutes.
The machine can even be bought online.
Live selfies needed for SIM registration
Cruz said that telecommunication companies (telcos) and authorities should carefully check the stated information of the registered SIM cards to eliminate fake information.
It is said that those behind giving false information in registering the SIM card should also be prosecuted.
Under the SIM Card Registration Act, all Public Telecommunications Entities (PTEs) were required to establish registration platforms to onboard users who provide valid identification cards.
Users were given a 180-day window, which extended until April 26, 2023, to complete the registration of their SIM cards. Failure to do so would result in the risk of deactivation.
As of August 31, 2023, a total of 118.908 million SIM cards had been registered, distributed among different telecom companies: 8.352 million with DITO Telecommunity Corp., 56.258 million with Globe Telecom Inc., and 54.296 million with Smart Communications Inc.
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